Many families spend more money than they need to on home utility bills because a large portion of the energy is wasted. The good news is, there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home. By making a few small changes, you can reduce your energy costs by 10 to 50 percent.
The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace – it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the line, energy-efficient furnace will use a lot of excess energy if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not insulated and leak. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely. The following tips will help you to save energy at home:
* Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating system.
* Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. You can even purchase ones to use with dimmers. Study your family’s lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen, and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls – like occupancy sensors, timers, or timers – to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps. Fluorescent lamps create less heat than incandescent bulbs. This is important if you are trying to cool the interior air.
* Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
* Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
* Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use. (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power.)
* Lower the thermostat on your hot water to 120°F.
* Take short showers (5 minutes or less) instead of baths.
* Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
* Close fireplace dampers when not burning wood in the fireplace.
* Look for the ENERGY STAR label on home appliances and products. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition to these actions, do a home energy audit. When auditing your home, keep a checklist of areas you inspect and problems you find. This list will help you prioritize your energy efficiency upgrades.
* Check the insulation levels. (Visit the Consumer’s Guide for instruction on checking insulation levels at http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11170.)
* Check for air leaks. Look for holes or cracks around walls, baseboards, ceilings, attic hatches, window frames, wall – or window-mounted air conditioners, weather stripping around doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.
* Check to make sure the fireplace damper seals when it is closed.
* Maintain your appliances and heating and cooling systems. Check owner’s manuals for the recommended maintenance.
Energy-efficient improvements make your home more comfortable, and they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners’ Courts of Texas Cooperating.
